The Ultimate Life Form
by MasterxShadow
Summary: In the aftermath of the Black Arms attack, his memories finally restored, Shadow must defend the weakened Earth against an old foe, and some new ones, in order to keep a promise to his dearest friend, and to save the girl he loves. He also learns a thing or two along the way. What will be the result?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Sonic, or any characters created and licensed by SEGA and SONIC TEAM…..But that would be awesome!

This is my first fic, please review.

Chapter 1: Prologue

It was a hot, bright summer day, the winds blowing gently in the heavily forested mountains near Westopolis. Many creatures sought shade on the forest floor, including Shadow the Hedgehog. At the moment he was content to just sit there, enjoying the warmth given off by a few stray rays of sunshine that pierced the forest canopy. After a while of dozing off, he was bored out of his mind, with nothing to do. He could scarcely believe that only a short month ago, he had obliterated the Black Comet with the Eclipse Cannon, saving Earth for the second time, and now he was back to just hanging around by himself in deserted places, just like he used to do, with. Now all he had to remind him that the Black Arms had even invaded Earth at all were the reconstruction sites operating around Westopolis and the rest of the world, attempting to restore some of mankind's greatest feats of engineering and other structures of importance, vaporized in an instant by the laser bombardment at the beginning of the invasion.

Musing to himself, he was marveling at how quickly the invasion had gotten under way, and then, how it had ended just as quickly. He seemed to recall that only a week had passed since the invasion had started, by which time he was facing off against Devil Doom and saving the planet. AGAIN. He smirked to himself, knowing that he was just THAT good.

Suddenly, his phone that he had received from G.U.N. rang, playing an extremely annoying ring tone that he had put on Sonic's profile so that he always knew when NOT to pick up his phone. Picking up the phone and seeing the word "FAKER" on the screen only confirmed that the caller was indeed Sonic. Shadow stared at the phone for several seconds, considering what to do, when suddenly, much to his surprise, he pressed the CALL button, seemingly against his will, and held it to his ear.

_"Hello?" _he said, again to his surprise, because he was almost never polite. _"Hey Shadow, what's up?"_asked Sonic, pleased that for once, Shadow took his call. _"What do you want, Faker?"_asked Shadow in an impatient, businesslike tone. _"Oh, uh, I just wanted to tell you that the gang's getting together for a barbecue by Chris' house to celebrate our victory over the Black Arms, and I wanted to know if you would come." "You KNOW I don't do parties, Sonic," said Shadow, who was by now irritated. "And besides, what do you mean by "YOUR VICTORY"? I'M the one who had to kick all the alien ass around here! Neither you nor Knuckles could even put a dent in one of them, and that includes the tiny eyeball ones that were eating you guys in the Comet! And of course your other friends are weaker than you and Knuckles, so of course they couldn't do shit to any of them physically. TAILS only managed to kill one because he had a frickin' .50 machinegun in his plane! So, no thanks, I'm not going to your damn barbecue, Sonic. You and your other weakling friends can enjoy your party by yourself. Sayonara, FAKER!"_ And with that, Shadow ended the call before Sonic could respond.

Shadow lay back down on the grass, smiling to himself. He had always enjoyed venting his anger by yelling at Sonic, and today was no different. It did occur to him briefly that Sonic was only trying to be nice, but Shadow didn't have time for nice. With him, it was either state your business and leave, or just keep on babbling your nonsense and get the hand, or the door, in your face.

Whilst lying on the grass he wondered to himself why he had felt any anger at all. During that fateful week whist fighting the Black Arms, he had finally found out who he really was, which had been his only true goal ever since Eggman had revived him from his cryogenic pod at Prison Island. Since he had finally achieved that goal, he supposed that he should be happy, the holes in his memory filled, but he felt that his purpose here on Earth had not yet been fulfilled, that was something more he must do. At this thought, Shadow stood up, and looked up at the sky.

"Chaos Control," he muttered, and he disappeared in a flash of light, without making so much as a sound among the trees in the mountains.

An instant later, he was aboard the Space Colony ARK, which he had considered to be his home more that Earth had ever been. He walked around the observation deck, checking that the ARK's equipment was fully operational, and also staring at the Earth. Even though he didn't call it his home, he could still appreciate its beauty from space. He was pleased by the way the light and deep greens complemented the breathtaking, deep blues, and the mix of gray and white clouds above the surface. After a few minutes of "Earth-watching", he walked to a huge titanium safe with multiple locks covering its surface. Stretching his hand out toward it, he looked as though he was about to open the safe when he muttered, "Chaos Wormhole". A large hole opened, out of which he lifted a large, titanium case the size of a coffin. He carried it to a table, easily lifting it with one hand, opened two ten-digit locks, had his fingerprints and pupils scanned by the secondary locks, and opened the case.

The Seven Chaos Emeralds glowed and sparkled with brilliance upon his face. Shadow had used their power to transform into Super Shadow and defeat Devil Doom, and then used the remaining power left in his super form to power the Eclipse Cannon and destroy the Black Comet. Upon returning to normal form, the emeralds separated, flying at high speeds away from Shadow, but the reinforced structure of the ARK, helped along in its construction by Black Doom fifty years earlier, had been able to keep the emeralds from leaving the ARK and returning to Earth, so Shadow had been able to recollect the emeralds in short order, and kept them hidden up in the ARK, so that no one, especially Eggman, would be able to find them. He, along with Sonic and his friends, were probably looking for them now, not knowing the emeralds were in the last place they'd ever think to look, the ARK. If any one of them ever tried to get up there though, Shadow would calmly, and without a second thought, knock them out of the skies with the ARK's EMP cannon, and would be completely unconcerned with how they were to survive their atmosphere reentry and their crash on the ground.

After counting the emeralds a dozen times before he was satisfied that they were all there, he relocked the case, replaced it in the safe, closed the wormhole, and proceeded to the Residential Quarters section of the ARK, where his room was. He briefly surveyed the room to make sure everything was in place. His room was large, with a king-sized bed, bathroom, computer, TV, sound system, fridge, and an observation window, which had a telescopic capability that allowed him to view distant stars and galaxies. A calming sight for when he had been brooding over his past. After a quick trip to the bathroom, he looked at the desk, and saw something that was definitely not there a month or so ago, when he had last visited the ARK. It was a black, red, and purple book, with a luminous binding and a faint, red glow around it. Shadow picked it up and looked at the cover.

_"The Art of Chaos"_

Intrigued by the title and its appearance, he opened the book and skimmed through a few pages. His eyes opened at what he saw.

He saw diagrams, footnotes, and explanations on every page, and on the first one was a picture of the Master Emerald surrounded by the Seven Chaos Emeralds! After studying one page closely, he discovered that the book was a guide for mastering the forces of Chaos in the Chaos realm, and manipulating Chaos Control, forming it into a whole new array of Chaos techniques!

He pondered he book for a while, wondering where he could have gotten it from. Then it hit him: when he had supposedly "pledged himself in allegiance" to Black Doom at the beginning of the invasion, he had gained Black Doom's trust, and Black Doom had given him the book, saying: _"I am the heir to a royal bloodline within the Black Arms, and as the latest in the line, I inherited this book so that I may control the Chaos powers unique to the bloodline that I was gifted with from birth. Now, you are the latest in the line, Shadow, my son, so you must take this book, learn its secrets, and keep it safe from those with prying eyes who can also command Chaos. Even though I can command Chaos, my gift for it is limited, due to the impurity of my father's genes, because his father was a pureblood royal, while his mother was a common member of the Arms, thus tainting his gift, and mine, but you, Shadow, can fully command Chaos because I saw to it that Dr. Robotnik separated my royal genes from my common ones, and passed them alone onto you. Once you learn the secrets of this book, you will become powerful beyond imagining!" _Almost at once, Shadow's mind became filled with images of himself as supremely powerful, and began at once to read the minute text.

After about an hour, Shadow had learned(not mastered) a new Chaos technique, and was about to try to learn another one, but was soon interrupted by a loud beeping from his phone, indicating a text message. Shadow growled, muttering under his breath about how the message had better not waste his time. He picked up the phone and looked at the messenger I.D.

It was from Amy.

Shadow's heart started to race, beating so fast until he thought it would surely burst.

"_Shadow," _it began, _"Sonic told me how moody you were at the prospect of going to the barbecue, and if you really don't want to go, then that's your choice. But, before you make a final decision, I just wanted to say, I really missed you, Shadow. I haven't seen you for a month now, and I am really starting to get worried. I know I can be kind of annoying, but, I just can't help wanting to be around you, Shadow, because you're the only guy I know who doesn't treat me like I'm just someone to be ignored, or just a part of the scenery. I just wanted to tell you how I feel, and how I dearly hope you come, even for just a few minutes, and say hi. You're the best guy I've ever met, Shadow, and I hope I can see you again, even for just a little while."_

_Yours Truly,_

_Amy Rose_

Why? Why did this pink hedgehog affect him so? Not that he particularly minded, because being alone was a viable option for only so long. It actually felt kind of nice to be affected this way, he merely curious as to how this feeling functioned.

Shadow stared at the message for what seemed like hours, then collapsed on his bed to catch his breath.


	2. An Old Enemy Returns

Chapter 2: An Old Enemy Returns

Back on Earth, Downtown Westopolis

The victory barbecue was just getting underway. Everyone was eating, dancing, conversing, and just having a good time. Sonic was seated on a bench by the pool, just starting in on his 5th chilidog. Amy, who seemed to be the life and soul of the party, walked over and sat next to him.

"_Enjoying the food, Sonic?" _asked Amy, who then burst into a fit of giggles at the sight of Sonic's face covered in chili and mayonnaise as he turned to her. _"DAMN STRAIGHT!" _exclaimed Sonic. _"These chilidogs are FUCKIN' DELICIOUS! I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF 'EM!"_

He looked over to Knuckles, who had spilled chili all over Rouge's dress in his haste to get her some chilidogs, and, as he started to laugh, his face turned blue, and he began to choke. It wasn't until ten seconds later that Amy looked over in his direction, believing him to be out of breath from laughing so hard. When she looked over, the blood drained from her face, and she immediately got behind him to perform a Heimlich Maneuver. After about 30 seconds of performing the technique, Sonic finally started to cough up the half-chewed chilidog he had accidentally swallowed, and the chili that came with it eventually followed suit.

"_Are you sure you're okay, Sonic?" _asked Amy a half-hour later, still clearly worried about her friend's health. _"Relax, Amy, I'll be fine. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, remember?" _he said, giving her his trademark grin and a thumbs-up, while eating MORE chilidogs. _"You say that now, but keep up that kind of eating and soon you'll be Ironic the Deadhog," _said Sally Acorn, Sonic's girlfriend, as she was stroking his back quills. _"Yeah, like that'll ever happen," _said Sonic, as he absently reached for the last chilidog on the table. His 20th, to be exact. But, his hand caught only air as it passed over the chilidog tray, and his eyes widened. He looked over to the tray, completely sure that he had seen a chilidog there only a few seconds ago. When he turned back to try to see who could have taken the last chilidog, he found his vision obscured by a black hedgehog with red stripes on his arms, legs, and head quills. He had a chilidog in his hand.

"_Hey there, Faker," _said Shadow, who took a slow, large bite out of his chilidog while smirking down at Sonic's chili-covered face.

"_HOLY SHIT , SHADS! IT'S GOOD TO SEE YA!" _exclaimed Sonic, who looked so pleased, it was if the conversation on the phone that morning had never happened. Everyone turned around to the sound of Sonic's voice, and the name that was uttered. Rouge and Omega looked quite pleased to see their fellow Team Dark member there, Cream, Vanilla, Big, Froggy, and the two Chaos looked a bit intimidated, seeing as they hadn't spent a lot of time around him, Silver, Tails, and Chris looked jubilant, Blaze and Sally aroused, Knuckles, Vector, and Espio pleasantly surprised, and Charmy even more hyperactive than he usually was. But Shadow's gaze sought a different set of eyes. Beautiful green ones. Amy looked positively radiant, her smile so big and white, it looked like it could light up the Earth if the sun ever went out. Slowly and surely, without any hint of shyness or uncertainty, she walked toward him, stopping only a foot away from him. The scent of her was incredible, so soothing and delightful, he was beginning to get a high from it. As he slowly inhaled her scent, the long moments passed in silence.

"_Shadow," _she whispered, and with that one word, so full of happiness and longing, she fell into his arms, and they settled into a long embrace, completely oblivious to the people around them. If her scent to him was so delightful, his was no less pleasing to her. She snuggled into his white chest fur, inhaling the woodsy, musky scent she so loved about him, while he took the opportunity to wrap his arms completely around her, completing their already tight embrace, and making her feel like she was desirous, for the first time in her life.

The embrace lasted only about 20 seconds, yet they felt like it had lasted ages, and the two had only split when Sonic started wolf-whistling, making all the other guests chuckle. They looked at the ground, at the sky, at other people, everywhere else besides at each other, both of their faces a deep red. After a few seconds of awkward silence, everybody returned to what they had been doing, with a few exceptions like Sally, Blaze and Rouge, who where taking in Shadow's powerful figure with their eyes while pretending to listen to what their boyfriends were saying, and Amy who pulling up two chairs, one for her, and one for Shadow, who was actually cracking a smile for once, instead of his trademark frown.

"_So, Shadow, what have you been up to for the past month?" _asked Amy, who was holding Shadow's right hand in two of hers. _"Well, I've been busy, doing top-secret missions for G.U.N. all over the world," _said Shadow, which made Amy's eyes widen. _"G.U.N.? But I thought…didn't you…I mean…" _she trailed off as shebegan to ponder. _"I have resolved my issues with the G.U.N. Commander once and for all, and ever since I defeated Doom, the commander offered me a job as an agent at G.U.N., which I thought was a good a substitute for a peace treaty as anything else would be. So now, I am assisting them in protecting Earth, as Maria always wanted me to do," _said Shadow, who had been pleased at the very prospect of fulfilling Maria's wishes. _"So, I shouldn't expect G.U.N. forces to swarm in at any moment and arrest you, right?" _asked Amy. Shadow nodded. _"Good, because if they came, I'd have to fight them off you, 'cause I won't let them take what's mine." _Shadow froze, then slowly looked down to see Amy's dazzling green eyes and her special smile she gave only to him. It was a sight that seemed to fill his entire being, including the gaping emotional holes left by his ears of loneliness, and also a powerful longing. Their faces were only inches apart now, one pair of eyes unable to leave the other, and, as both pairs started to close, their faces moved closer, closer, until they were only centimeters apart, the tension hot in the air, and just as they were about to close the distance…

URRRHHPPP!

The two hedgehogs' eyes snapped open, and the two looked over at Sonic, who let out another great burp that was almost as loud as the first. _"Oh SHIT, I feel SO much better with all that gas out of my stomach, I thought was gonna explode!" _Sonic exclaimed, clearly oblivious to the amorous scene that had been about to unfold in front of him. _"SONIC!" _yelled Amy. _"What? Oh, uh, excuse me?" _said Sonic, wondering what he had done wrong this time. _"You completely ruined my important moment with Shadow, you blue jackass!"_ she yelled. _"Oh, uh, well, I'm sorry you had to hear that, Ames, and you too, Shads, but, um, I'm sure there'll be other ti-_

_BOOM!_

Everyone jumped up in shock and turned to look at where the explosion had come from. About ten blocks away, a tall corporate skyscraper had been hit by a huge missile, and the steel framework was now trembling at the weight imbalance caused by the removal of most of the supporting beams. The Sonic Heroes looked around, hoping to see what had fired the missile, when they saw a huge airship come into view, colored bright orange and red, and bearing the insignia of a plump man with a walrus mustache and a too big grin on his face.

It was, of course, Eggman's airship.

Bokkun also came into view, carrying his usual computer screen and his green backpack full of bombs, and touched down on the grass in front of Sonic and his friends.

"_Message from Dr. Eggman!" _he said, as he always did when bearing a message fron the doctor. He turned a dial on the back of the screen, took out a remote from his pocket, and pressed the POWER button. Eggman's face came into view. _"Eggman!"_ yelled everyone, as if they had rehearsed their response. _"Well, well well, if it isn't my archnemesis Sonic and his group of lackeys!" _said Eggman, which elicited much growling and obscenities from the Heroes. _"What the hell do you want this time, Egghead?" _asked Sonic, who was both angry at Eggman for the attack he had made on the building, and excited at the prospect of kicking Eggman's ass and saving the world, something he didn't get to do very often now. _"Oh, you know, the usual, take over the world plan that I will always have and will never give up on. But you know, Sonic, I have a feeling that this time, you will be the one who loses while I finally build Eggmanland, my ultimate utopia ruled only by me!" "And how do you plan on doing that, Eggbrain?" _asked Sonic in his skeptical, taunting voice. "_Well, you see, I brought along a few friends to help me, and when I mentioned you name, they were only too happy to help,"_ said Eggman. He then stretched out a hand, and used it to turn the screen to three figures standing in a darkened corner of the room. He motioned with a hand, beckoning them forward, and Sonic gasped when he saw who it was.

It was Metal Sonic, Mephiles the Dark, and Scourge the Hedgehog, his three greatest enemies, besides Eggman of course, and also Shadow when he had been on the doctor's side.

Metal Sonic spoke up first. _"Obsolete life form Sonic the Hedgehog recognized, image archived for future identification. Now overriding all other objectives and setting primary objective: kill life form Sonic the Hedgehog at all costs." _Then Mephiles walked forward. _"Hello there, Sonic, I have come to destroy all that you hold dear as a favor returned for destroying Iblis, and with it, my dreams of ultimate power! Believe me when I say you won't like what I have in store for you. I know that I certainly wouldn't…hehehe." _Finally, Scourge walked up. _"Well, well, well, if it isn't my inferior alter ego, Sonic the faker,"_ he said. Sonic's mouth dropped open. _"SCOURGE! How are you even alive? I killed you in the throne room while you were in your super form,"_ said Sonic. _"I felt the heat leave your body to be replaced by the chill of death!"_ _"All of these statements are very true, or so I was told by Eggman,"_ said Scourge. _"But, unfortunately for you, I am the Scourge from about three weeks before that battle even took place, and I simply decided to abandon my Anti-Freedom Fighters and postpone the plan to rule Mobius in order to come here, and kill you instead!"_

"_Well, now that we've gotten the introductions out of the way, on to my plan," _said Eggman. _"I'm just going to take these three gentlemen, here, and go a massive campaign of death and destruction, beating the already-weakened G.U.N. forces into submission and taking over the planet once and for all!" "And just how do you think you dickheads are going to beat us without any Chaos Emeralds, Egghead?" _said Sonic._ "Well now, here's some fun facts, for you, blue boy,"_ said Eggman. _"The reason our good friend Scourge here is green is because he had partially absorbed some of the Master Emerald's power, making him far superior to you in combat, Sonic. Mephiles here has managed to absorb some of Iblis' power, not enough to turn him into Solaris, mind you, but plenty enough to destroy anything in his path. And, finally, my creation, Metal Sonic is already running on an emerald…per say. It's not an actual emerald, but rather a cleverly designed synthetic one designed by our very own Tails, which I stole from him when he came to the Space Colony ARK. Bravo, Tails, bravo! And thanks for the emerald!"_

"_Damn it," _Sonic heard Tails mutter behind him, then refocused his attention on the screen.

"_Even with the four of you combined, we still greatly outnumber you Egghead, and we'll still kick your ass, just like we always do!" _said Sonic. _"Oh, you didn't think I would leave your friends out of this, now did you, Sonic?" _said Eggman, chuckling. _"I told you, I'm taking some of them with me, to ensure your surrender, and of course to experiment on!" "And just how do you plan on doing that, Eggman?" _asked Sonic.

"_Well, let's just say I think they will be TAKEN and OVERCOME by the mere sight of my sheer brilliance!" _said Eggman, who then pressed a button on his remote while cackling. Suddenly, a stealth robot hidden underground emerged, grabbing Amy, Blaze, Rouge, and Sally from behind and flying with them toward the airship. A collective cry of _"NOOO!"_ came from their respective lover. Shadow immediately jumped up, hovered in the air with his shoes, and launched a Chaos Spear at the robot. It struck its right shoulder, where he had intended it to hit, shaking the arm just enough for Rouge to slip out and fly back to the group. He hadn't wanted to risk releasing the other girls at the high altitude they were at. He also hadn't wanted to Chaos Control his way to the robot, as he would have had to extract each girl individually to avoid transporting them all back, including the robot, back to where the others were, by which time the robot could have killed any of the girls if its mission could not be completed. As Shadow and Rouge returned to the ground, Sonic was waiting there, yelling at Shadow the whole time.

"_SHADOW! What the FUCK were you thinking, you could have killed them!" _Sonic yelled, his face turning red from rage. _"Not really, I knew where to aim,"_ said Shadow indifferently, dusting himself off and walking over to where his stuff was. _"You guys should be getting ready to go soon, they'll be needing us up there,"_ he said. _"And how are we to get up there, Shadow?"_ said Sonic angrily. _"Tails' plane has no juice, it's extremely difficult for Silver to carry people or objects with him while he's flying, Knuckles can't fly for jack, and my power ring uses up too much of my energy for me to spin dash all the way up there, it's IMPOSSIBLE!"_

Shadow looked at him, his head tilted sideways with a confused expression on his face. _"Since when have you EVER used that word, Sonic, and, more to the point, since when have you ever let impossible odds stop you?"_ he said. He regarded Sonic for a moment with an expression of disappointment on his face, then started walking away, his body starting to glow with pulsating blue light.

"_Shadow, just where exactly are you going?"_ asked Sonic.

Shadow halted, stood mute for several seconds, raised his head to the sky, and finally spoke.

"_I don't know where you and your friends will go, Sonic, but as for me, I'm going to go save the woman I love."_ And with that statement, he disappeared in a flash of blue light.


	3. The Preparation

Sorry guys, I know it has been a LONG time since I last updated, hopefully I can get this done during the summer!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters licensed by SEGA or SONIC TEAM…but that would be awesome!

Chapter 3: The Preparation

"_Love? LOVE!?"_

Those were the thoughts on Shadow the Hedgehog's mind as he materialized inside the Space Colony ARK's command deck. He had felt as though someone else was in his body a few moments ago, when he had said those words to Sonic before teleporting. Perhaps he had had a lapse in judgment? _"I am the Ultimate Life Form,"_ he said to himself. _"A creation born to protect the Earth, as Maria would have wanted. There is no room inside me for love…"_ but he believed his own words less and less with every passing moment.

He began to rationalize. _"I suppose it's only natural,"_ he thought. _"I have known Amy for years now, and she was the only one who ever reminded me of Maria, on that fateful day, on this very ARK. Perhaps it is because she resembles her so much in life and spirit that I am so attracted, and so confused when it coms to her. Whatever the case, I must go and rescue her, because now, protecting her is like giving me a second chance to protect Maria…"_

With that thought, he turned to a nearby computer screen. He took his G.U.N. communicator off of his wrist and connected it via USB to one of the available terminals. He typed in the Commander's number, and waited.

After a few moments the Commander's face appeared on the computer screen. He appeared worn and tired, most likely from directing peacekeeping operations for post-Black Arms reconstruction. _"Agent Shadow, good to see you,"_ he said, his tone friendly. _"What can I do for you?"_ _"Commander, we have a high-priority situation on our hands here. Doctor Eggman has managed to gather Metal Sonic, Mephiles the Dark, and Scourge the Hedgehog to assist him in his plans for world domination. He has also captured Amy Rose, Blaze the Cat, and Sally Acorn, and is holding them aboard his airship." "Well Shadow,"_ began the Commander, _"Our forces are stretched pretty thin after being decimated by Black Arms assaults. I'm afraid that we really can't provide that much assistance to a counter op."_

"_I understand your situation, Commander,"_ Shadow said. _"I simply wanted to inform you so that you would not be caught off guard. I plan on infiltrating the airship, incapacitating the hostiles, and rescuing the hostages solo." "Wait,"_ said the Commander. _"You don't plan on involving your friends in this? I'm sure they'd like to help those girls too." "All of Tails' weapons and flight technology have been rendered useless by Eggman's tech, and the synthetic Emerald Tails made has been stolen. They have no other options to get to Eggman's flagship. But I can disable the ship, get inside of it, and carry out the mission." "Well, Shadow, if anyone can get those girls back and defeat Eggman and his allies, it's you. Good luck." _

With that, the Commander ended the transmission from his end.

Shadow wasted no time in scanning the nearby sectors for any sign of Eggman's ship. He reasoned that he had taken only ten seconds to fully teleport from the barbecue to the ARK, and that he had only spent about five minutes at most talking to the Commander, so Eggman's ship should be within striking range soon.

After waiting about ten more minutes, he saw the prow of Eggman's flagship come from behind the far end of the Earth. At once, he dashed to the vault and retrieved a single Chaos Emerald from inside, then made his way to the Eclipse Cannon fire control room. He found the panel where the seven Emeralds were supposed to go, and inserted the one he brought with him, and closed the panel. Immediately a power bar began filling as the weapon drew energy from the Emerald inside. _"Eclipse Cannon operating at fourteen percent capacity. Firing readiness at twenty-five percent."_

Shadow used the time while the Eclipse Cannon was charging to gather some G.U.N. weapons from the armory. He selected a heavily modified SCAR-H battle rifle, using armor-piercing 7.62 x 51 mm NATO ammunition as his weapon of choice, followed by an M4 Super 90 shotgun for his backup gun, and two .45 caliber M1911 pistols firing explosive rounds to finish off the set. Despite all the firepower he was carrying, Shadow still felt uneasy. Four of the greatest enemies ever faced by the Freedom Fighters were on that ship, standing between him and the freedom of his love, Amy. Well, Blaze and Sally were prisoners too, but they did not occupy his thoughts as _she_ did.

"_Eclipse Cannon firing readiness at fifty-six percent,"_ said the computer. _"Fifty-six percent, eh? I guess I had better finish quickly then,"_ said Shadow in a sarcastic tone. He didn't like the slow charge time with only one Emerald in the Cannon, but he was forced to as he didn't want to use two or more Emeralds' worth of power and risk blowing up the ship wholesale and killing the girls. No, he would be patient and wait until the Cannon had finished charging, and then shoot that ship back down to Earth.

Shadow looked over at _The Art of Chaos_ lying on the desk to the Cannon's charge indicator. He really wished that he could have had more time to learn techniques, but he would just have to settle with the one he had learned. Now that he thought about it, it could be of some use in hand to hand combat, which he much preferred to using weapons. However, he would have no time to punch the hell out of every Eggman robot's central core processor, so he would have to settle for shooting every robot he saw. _"And maybe one of those four as well,"_ thought Shadow with pleasure. He placed the book inside the vault and went back to the command deck.

"_Eclipse Cannon firing readiness at eighty-three percent,"_ said the computer. _"Alrighty then,"_ said Shadow as he rechecked his ammunition for his weapons and made sure they were secured. _"I hope you're ready for what's about to hit you Eggman, because once I get ahold of you I'll—"_

Shadow's words were cut off by a flash of blue light coming from Eggman's ship. It seemed to slowly expand as it moved away from the ship's hull. Shadow's blood went cold when he realized what it was.

"_He's opening a goddamn wormhole! Computer, prepare to fire the Eclipse Cannon now!" _yelled Shadow as he accessed the targeting systems and aimed at the ship. _"Sir, firing readiness is only at ninety percent,"_ said the computer as Shadow got a lock on. _"I DON'T CARE! WE CAN FIX THE DAMAGE LATER! NOW FIIIIRREEEE!"_ _" Eclipse Cannon firing system engaged. Cannon firing in t-minus 3…2….1….fire."_

A giant burst of bright green light blinded Shadow's view of everything as the Eclipse Cannon fired at Eggman's ship. The shot of concentrated energy streaked in a precise straight line toward the vessel. Shadow saw flaps on the ship open and mechanisms come out to surround it. Shadow realized that Eggman was trying to put up shields. He chuckled. _"Good thinking, Doctor, but I'm afraid you acted too late."_

Shadow saw shimmers of iridescence popping up around the ship as the shields were coming into effect, but the shot was closing in. It smashed directly into the developing shield, shattering it easily and dissipating the rest of the structure. It lost some of its energy due to the collision, but still proceeded to smash directly into the main engine at the back of the ship, as the vessel itself was half way into the hole. Shadow saw the circular form of the wormhole begin to destabilize, become more of an oblong shape, and then finally collapse altogether. As the wormhole collapsed, Shadow could see that the part of the ship inside the hole had taken severe damage, with large patches missing from the vessel's sturdy hull. It looked like some great behemoth had forcibly torn off the pieces. The ship looked to be on its last legs. Satisfied with what he had seen, he proceeded to make his way to the ARK's hangar. Once there, he placed himself into a sleek aircraft designed for pursuit and dogfighting.

"_ARK Robotnik-class EGX-1 Lance Fighter preparing for takeoff,"_ blared the computer over the sound of the spacecraft coming to life at his hands. _"Computer, check all flight controls and weapons systems,"_ said Shadow as he fitted the compact pilot's helmet on. _"Internal cabin pressure is green. Flight stabilizers are green. Thruster capacity is at maximum. Wing integrity is at one hundred percent. Thirty-millimeter main cannon is green. Heat-seeking missiles are all green. Photon laser cannon is at optimal operating levels. All systems are green." "Alright, proceed with launch,"_ said Shadow. _"Commencing launch in t –minus 3…2...1…launch."_

The light gray interior of the hangar became bright orange as the thrusters of the Lance roared and activated. Shadow deftly maneuvered the controls as the aircraft streaked out of the hangar and toward Eggman's severely damaged ship. As he came closer, he saw hundreds of little lights coming out from the bottom of the ship, and realized that they were Eggman's robot fighters, coming out to play. He smiled.

"_Okay, Eggman, if that's how you want to play it, I'm game,"_ thought Shadow as he and the mass of lights came closer. Then he thought of Amy. _"Amy, just hold on for now, I'm coming."_ As the two parties finally met, the battle in space began.


	4. The Assault

Alright, it's been a little bit (not as long as the last break), but here it is: Chapter 4!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters licensed by SEGA or SONIC TEAM…but that would be awesome!

Chapter 4: The Assault

A series of machines and computers were whirring and beeping as complex algorithms calculated total damages inflicted on the wounded flagship in the last two minutes. Holographic scans popped up on projector tables, and in other parts of the ship, sirens and hazard alarms were going off and echoing off the steel walls. As all of this was happening, a rotund man with a rather impressive mustache was making his way to the center of the ship's control center.

"_Computer, give me the damage report,"_ muttered Doctor Eggman as he looked around at the mess that had been made of the control center. _"Doctor, I am pleased to say that the hull is at 78 percent integrity and can be repaired within a short time due to the small size of the breaches. We have lost only 5 percent of our total oxygen supply to space vacuum, and life support systems are intact and online. However, I regret to inform you that the shot fired from Space Colony ARK's Eclipse Cannon has compromised the main engine and has dealt severe damage to the auxiliary engines and gyroscopes. We will be incapable of independent motion for at least 72 hours while repair teams are redirected toward the damaged area. Furthermore, it seems that our ability to generate slipspace ruptures has been permanently compromised and will require a complete return to the Egg Fort to acquire another Slipspace Drive."_

"_Damn that hedgehog, I didn't think he would resort to using THAT!"_ yelled Eggman, punctuating his statement by slamming his hand onto one of the projector tables. He took a deep breath, then tried to calm himself down while breathing out. He tried to reassure himself that his superior genius would win him the day, even though he had been dealt a major setback.

As he was doing this, Mephiles, Scourge, and Metal Sonic walked into the room, flanked by many Eggman Robots. Mephiles and Metal Sonic both had apathetic looks on their face, while Scourge seemed to be quite amused._"Say Eggman, do you think you could lay off swinging those big ass blocks you call hands around? I think this ship has suffered enough,"_ teased Scourge while the other two remained silent. _"SILENCE, SCOURGE!"_ yelled Eggman while thoughts of what he would do next rushed through his mind. _"Alright, alright,"_ muttered Scourge as he scowled and proceeded to remain quiet.

Metal Sonic and Mephiles then chose this moment to come forward. _"Doctor Eggman,"_ began Metal Sonic, _"I am pleased to say that the hull is at 78 percent integrity and can be repaired within a short time due to the small size of the breaches. We have lost only 5 percent of our total oxygen supply to space vacuum, and life support systems are intact and online. However, I regret to inform you that—"_

"_That will be all, Metal Sonic,"_ said Eggman, stopping the robot short. At this point he was very exasperated. He knew the robot was only trying to help, but he did not need the same report twice. What he needed was new information. Mephiles then decided to speak. _"Doctor, I know you are trying to think of a new strategy for us to use right now, but surely you must know that our enemy will not wait for us to get back on our feet. If they are smart, they will attack now. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if—"_

A blaring alarm cut off the rest of Mephiles' words. _ARK Robotnik-class EGX-1 Fighter detected,"_ said the computer as a display popped up on one of the projector tables. A single red dot was approaching the ship at high speed. _"Oh, so THAT'S how he wants to play, does he?"_ said Eggman as he walked over to the main console. He pressed a button, connecting his speaker to all the intercom megaphones on the ship. _"All units equipped with pilot and aviation programming, report to the hangar and prepare for deployment! Our enemy is one, and by himself. Dispose of him quickly!"_

Eggman turned off the intercom. He, Mephiles, Scourge and Metal Sonic watched as a sea of Eggman Robots got into small fighters in the flagship's massive hangar. Enormous number of units were prepaing aircraft, checking and rechecking gear, fueling, and loading weapons systems. After about thirty seconds, all the robots had gotten into their ships and awaited the order. Eggman raised his hand briefly, then let it fall. All at once, the gigantic fleet of ship flew out of the hangar at both ends, as it stretched across the width of the entire ship. Within seconds, the hangar was completely empty. _"Well then boys, shall we go enjoy the show?"_ asked Eggman in a markedly lighter tone than the one from a minute before as he and the others walked toward the ship's main camera to watch the battle.

Shadow was cruising towards the flagship at a moderate pace. He really saw no need to go full throttle because the ship wasn't going anywhere, but he certainly wasn't going to go to minimum throttle with Amy's life hanging in the balance. He looked around the cabin of the fighter while placing it on autopilot. All systems were in good condition and perfectly operational, and his hull was at 100% integrity. All like the computer had told him, but he always felt the need to double check. As he came closer, he saw hundreds of little lights coming out from the bottom of the ship, and realized that they were Eggman's robot fighters, coming out to play. He smiled.

"_Okay, Eggman, if that's how you want to play it, I'm game,"_ thought Shadow as he and the mass of lights came closer. Then he thought of Amy. _"Amy, just hold on for now, I'm coming."_ As the two parties finally met, the battle in space began.

"_Computer, reroute power from the photon laser cannon, and boost our shields,"_ said Shadow as he began spooling up his thirty-millimeter main cannon. _"Power rerouted,"_ voiced the computer. Shadow could see the shimmer around his ship that was the shield start to become thicker and more dense. He flipped open the safety box for the main gun, and pulled the trigger.

The view in front of Shadow's eyes was tinted orange as bullets cam flying out of the barrel at high speed in the vacuum of space. One by one, he began to see explosions getting closer and closer as the rounds destroyed the feeble fighters one by one. Then he noticed hundreds of tracers coming right for him as the little ships began firing back in mass numbers. Shadow jerked the control stick toward himself and the fighter abruptly soared upward as the massive wall of tracers whizzed past. Shadow knew that the bullets were too little to do actual damage to his shield, but when fired en masse, they could potentially take out his ship in one go, even with the rerouted power boost. As he was ascending, he looked down and saw the pack correcting their course to follow him up as well, this time seeming to pack tightly together, possibly to make their offensive might greater. Then another wall of tracers was making its way up, this time so thick it looked like a giant ray of light, quickly closing the distance between his ship and themselves. Shadow decided to make a gamble.

"_Computer, cut off all power to the shield and_ _reroute the power to the photon cannon."_ Shadow knew that giving the photon cannon back its original power, as well as adding on all of the power from the shield, would make for a very powerful shot indeed. _"Power rerouted. photon cannon is now running on two hundred and thirty percent of capacity."_ Shadow pressed the switch for the cannon to begin charging. He then cut off thrust to his engines and used the steering to turn the ship's nose towards the approaching wall. He flipped open the safety for the heat seeking missiles, and pressed the button. Two missile, one from each side, zoomed out of his ship's wing pods and towards the approaching wall. Both missiles' heat seeking systems detected the heat coming off all the rounds, but with them packed so closely together, the targeting systems both identified the wall as a single entity. So instead of flying all over the place to try and attack all the rounds, they simply zoomed to the part of the wall right in front of Shadow's ship, as he had hoped. The missiles made contact with the wall and exploded with violent force. The force of the blast was so great, it blew away a large number of rounds coming toward him and made a makeshift hole in the wall. There were still a few rounds left in front of him that closed in. They peppered his hull, not enough to cripple his ship but definitely enough to slow it down and limit its survivability. He didn't have time to care as the photon cannon's display read that the cannon was ready to fire. _"Computer, fire the photon cannon!"_ yelled Shadow.

The world in front of Shadow's eyes went completely white as the massively overcharged photon cannon blasted out a giant white stream that fired right into the heart of the concentrated pack. It annihilated ships on impact, destroying hundreds of ships directly as it tore its way downward. Many more ships were either disabled or outright destroyed by the energy and force bleeding of from the stream, with many systems going haywire and exploding from the force. Shadow pulled the trigger on his main gun and fired away, quickly neutralizing these ships as they were rendered useless. He followed the stream through the pack, and pulled out of its trajectory as he cleared the last of them. He looked up at the giant cloud of destruction he had wrought. As he saw the cloud of destruction begin to disperse, he saw that there remained only about a third or less of the mass of ships left. He was very pleased with his handiwork, but knew that he could not afford to waste time, as he still had a mission to accomplish.

Shadow saw the pack regrouping to come after him, but knew they would never make it in time. He checked the readout on the photon cannon. It appeared he had one overcharged shot left if he continued to forgo use of the shield, but it would not be as powerful as the last shot was. He was fine with this as he zoomed towards the hangar of the ship. He saw the doors begin to close, but he was too near for them to close in time. He zipped through as the heavy metal doors sealed shut. He used the VTOL tech on his fighter to quickly land, and leaped out of his vehicle, weapons cocked and ready to fire. He headed for the nearest passageway, and skated at high speed through the halls. He came to a maintenance bay filled with Eggman Robots, but they didn't seem to be equipped with weapon configurations, but rather repair ones. Shadow didn't care as he lifted his SCAR-H up to his shoulder and opened fire.

The 7.62x51mm armor-piercing rounds tore through the thin metal plating surrounding the robots' bodies, taking each one out instantly as the control console in the heads of each robot was destroyed. The robots tried to scramble away in terror, having nothing to defend themselves with. Shadow was merciless in his genocidal campaign as he hunted each robot down in the maintenance bay and shot them in the head. As he began to reload, one of the robots tackled him from behind, using its weight to try to pin him down as more robots joined their comrade in trying to subdue the murderous hedgehog. Shadow felt the pulling sensations on his back as he realized his weapons were being stripped from his holsters.He then thought only of Amy as more and more robots piled onto him. _"Amy was kidnapped by Eggman, and all of you work for him, so you all deserve the same fate as he!"_

Red energy began to envelop Shadow's body as his anger began to spike to new levels. The robots all tried to scramble away from him, but they were already packed too tightly together atop him and they got in the way of each other's escape. Shadow wore a satisfied smile as he prepared to unleash the energy and hate he felt.

CHAOS…..BLAAAST!

The maintenance bay was filled with red light as the concentrated wave of Chaos energy tore through the robots crushing Shadow, breaking them into little pieces and burning the remaining bits to cinders. The machinery being repaired was absolutely destroyed, and the entire bay looked like hell itself as Shadow obliterated all matter within range of his attack.

As the ashes of charred metal began to settle, Shadow stood up and dusted himself off. He checked his weapons. His SCAR-H had been taken, but he still had the M4 Super 90 shotgun and the two M1911 pistols. His rage sated by the scene of destruction before him, he walked off towards the door he came from, only to stop dead in his tracks as he saw a metallic blue and silver figure enter the doorway.

"_Lifeform Shadow the Hedgehog identified. Neutralization order, engaged,"_ said Metal Sonic in his robotic monotone. _"Well, well, well, if it isn't Eggman's tin can, come to stop me,"_ said Shadow tauntingly. He reached very slowly behind his back for his shotgun as Metal Sonic began to approach him. He then sped toward the robot at top speed, and it reciprocated, speeding toward him in kind, both set on destroying the other as their battle began.

Phew! I know it's been a while but I'm in that #summercollegestruggle. As I adjust to the schedule I should be able to get the next chapter out quicker than this one though. Hope you enjoyed it! Big battles in the next chapter! Amy is in the chapter too!


	5. The Rescue, Part 1

Sorry for the long wait guys, I've been out of the FanFiction game for a bit, but now I'm back, and, as I promised last chapter, we're gonna get those fights in! Chapter 5, let's go!

As always…

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters licensed by SEGA or SONIC TEAM…but that would be awesome!

Chapter 5: The Rescue, Part 1

Eggman looked on in horror as he watched Shadow tear through his force of space combat ships with his one little ARK fighter. Granted, his brilliant grandfather had designed and built the fighter, but it still hurt his pride to see so much destruction. It didn't help either that Scourge was laughing loudly, rolling on the floor, tears in his eyes.

"_He's better than I thought!"_ said Scourge in a mirthful tone, trying to settle down from the chuckles he was full of. _"He sure showed you, eh, Eggy?"_ Eggman could only grind his teeth as he tried to keep himself from choking out the little green rat on the spot. He grew more incensed as he saw Shadow's fighter approaching the hangar, and turned almost choleric when he saw it manage to slip inside before the doors closed. He turned to Metal Sonic.

"_Metal Sonic, new mission order: Search and Destroy. Mission Objective: Kill Shadow the Hedgehog by any means necessary! Execute now!"_

Metal Sonic turned away and sped down the nearest corridor, heading for the hangar. Mephiles retained his stoic look, while Scourge, by now done laughing, seemed rather disgruntled.

"_Say, Eggy, why didn't you let me go? I would've beat that lab-bred phony to a bloody pulp! Don't let that tin can go out there! Send me!"_ said Scourge as he jumped to his feet and walked toward Eggman.

"_Well Scourge, as much as I would like to see that, Metal Sonic can be easily repaired if he gets destroyed, while you certainly cannot,"_ said Eggman as he watched Shadow mow down his repair robots with his assault rifle.

"_Hmph, like I would ever get beaten by a guy like that…"_ muttered Scourge as he pouted in a corner.

"_Now now, Scourge, you'll have your chance. Just watch Metal Sonic's battle and see what you can glean from it. Using that information will allow you to beat him much more easily, and I can promise you that he will be beaten severely,"_ said Eggman in a cheerful tone as he wore a wicked smile. Scourge looked at Eggman, considering, then finally walked back to him and Mephiles, then turned his attention to the hangar camera.

_Meanwhile, in the hangar…_

"_Lifeform Shadow the Hedgehog identified. Neutralization order, engaged,"_ said Metal Sonic in his robotic monotone.

_"Well, well, well, if it isn't Eggman's tin can, come to stop me,"_ said Shadow tauntingly. He reached very slowly behind his back for his shotgun as Metal Sonic began to approach him. He then sped toward the robot at top speed, and it reciprocated, speeding toward him in kind, both set on destroying the other as their battle began.

Shadow rotated counter-clockwise, bringing the heel of his left foot around in a circle for a blow, powered by his running momentum, toward Metal Sonic's head. Metal Sonic, reacting quickly, stopped running and opted to slide on its right knee instead, bringing its left arm up and blocking the heel speeding toward its face. It then lowered its metallic, spiky head, aiming to use both its and Shadow's momentum to impale the black hedgehog. Shadow pushed off with his right foot, vaulting over the robot behind it. He then spun around and fired a shot. The buckshot made little superficial indents on the robot's back, but otherwise was ineffective. Metal Sonic spun, slashing with his hand as he went, making a cut on Shadow's forearm. Blood spurted from the cut, and Shadow winced as he recoiled from the pain. The robot took advantage of this opening and grasped Shadow's neck in a crushing grip, choking the hedgehog and gaining the upper hand. Shadow dropped his shotgun and brought both hands up to his neck in an effort to pry off the robot's fingers. Metal Sonic responded by strengthening his grip around the hedgehog's throat, while shifting his stance and bringing his free hand all the way behind him. Metal Sonic brought his fist full circle and delivered a devastating punch to the chest, launching Shadow from his grip several yards to the hangar wall, making a huge dent in the metal. Blood began running from his mouth. Shadow got up very slowly, his vision blurry, ears ringing as the robot walked toward him. He gingerly felt his ribs, feeling that a few had broken upon impact. He then composed himself, and began charging a Chaos Spear in his right hand as he rushed forward punching with his left. Metal Sonic caught the fist and pulled, delivering a powerful head butt. As Shadow's head snapped back, he activated his shoes' propulsion, launching his right foot up and upper-cutting the robot into the air. Metal Sonic's vision became static as the impact jostled his internal circuits. Shadow launched forward, matching his timing with the robot's descent, and launched his fully-charged Chaos Spear directly into its chest plate. The energy projectile carried Metal Sonic to the wall, exploding with tremendous force. Shadow knelt down as he tried to catch his breath, the attack having aggravated his still aching ribs. By focusing his Chaos Energy, he was able to facilitate faster healing, at the cost of his stamina. As he began working at getting ribs reattached, a figure began moving out of the smoke created by the blast. Shadow had an amused look upon his face as the figure came into view.

"_Oh, so you still want some more huh,"_ teased Shadow as Metal Sonic came close.

The robot appeared to be on its last legs. The once shiny, electric blue paintjob had become a worn, grayish color. The lenses covering its eyes cameras had cracked, severely impairing its vision. The head was still for all intents and purposes intact, so the robot was still capable of thinking and fighting with copied Freedom Fighter moves. The chest plate, however, was a different story. The blast impact was clearly marked, with a charred ring of iron blossoming outward from where the attack impacted, and a gaping hole from the penetration of the shot. For all that damage, though, Metal Sonic did not hobble his way forward, but walked forward at a steady pace. Shadow got up, holding his left hand to his chest as he continued healing, but his breathing becoming more haggard as his own life energy was used to seal the wound.

"_Damn robot, much as I hate to admit he's got one hell of a left hook,"_ muttered Shadow as his bones finished healing. His turned a hateful gaze upon the robot, then smiled. _"Well tin can, I think it's about time we wrapped this up. You've wasted enough of my time already!"_

Shadow charged a Chaos Spear in his hand, the yellow energy crackling in his palm. He sped toward Metal Sonic. The robot thrust forward with its right hand, fingers pointed to pierce the hedgehog's flesh. Shadow met the metal hand with his own, the energy tearing apart the metal as Shadow pushed his hand through the robot's arm, toward the head area. Now with one less usable arm, the robot raised its left arm to strike, but it was too late. Shadow unleashed the Chaos Spear into Metal Sonic's head unit, once again creating a large explosion upon impact. Shadow raised his arm to shield his eyes from the flying debris as smoke and scrap metal filled the hangar.

"_Eh, not as good as the last one, but it'll do,"_ said Shadow as he appraised the destruction he had caused. He looked back upon his opponent.

The robot's remains had scattered all the over the place. Surprisingly, the head had been for the most part destroyed, but still there was a significant chunk remaining. Curious, Shadow picked up the chunk and examined it, and then pried with his fingers until bolts started breaking and screws holding the piece together began to fall out. As the chunk collapsed, his eyes widened, and then he took on a wry smile.

"_Ah, so this is what you stole it for,"_ said Shadow as he pulled Tails' fake Chaos Emerald out of the remaining rubble. _"Explains why it was so strong. Well, you know what they say, finders keepers,"_ he said as he put the fake Emerald in his equipment bag.

He then stood up and brushed some of the dust off of his shoulders. _"Well, it's time to get going, I've got no time to lose,"_ he said as he activated his shoes and sped off on his way to save Amy.


End file.
